Intel, Boot Camp drive Mac sales climb

New research from the ChangeWave Alliance suggests that Apple is about to see its market share explode.

by
Jonny Evans
, | 19 May 06

New research from the ChangeWave Alliance suggests that Apple is about to see its market share explode.

The independent industry stock research firm says that it has: "Rarely seen the kind of momentum in its proprietary surveys of computer industry personnel that Apple has registered in recent months."

Intel shift a popular move

Shortly after Apple revealed its move to Intel processors a June 2005 ChangeWave Alliance survey on consumer PC demand was interesting. The researchers claim this showed that nearly one-in-five respondents (19 per cent) said the new Intel-equipped Mac made them "more likely" to buy a Mac in future, compared to just 3 per cent who said it made them "less likely" to buy one.

A January 2006 showed a "huge surge in demand on the horizon for Intel Macs," the researchers added. This time 33 per cent of those surveyed said the Apple deal with Intel made them "more likely" to buy a Mac in the future.

A third survey of 2,221 Alliance members in March saw Apple's share of desktop purchases at 8 per cent, and its laptop share at 6 per cent, the researchers claim.

Among Alliance members planning to purchase a laptop in the next 90 days, 17 per cent said they'd get a Mac.

Boot Camp a kick up for sales

On April 5, Apple released their new Boot Camp software, which enables Intel-based Macs to run on a Microsoft Windows XP operating system. To measure the potential impact of the Boot Camp announcement, the Alliance conducted another survey of industry professionals.

The ChangeWave Alliance asked its members if the Boot Camp release made them more or less likely to buy an Apple computer over the next six months. A full one-quarter of respondents (25 per cent) said they were more likely to buy an Apple computer in the next six months because of the new software functionality, with only 2 per cent saying they would be less likely to purchase.

According to the ChangeWave Alliance results, the April Boot Camp announcement is just one more sign that the Intel chip deal is likely to have a hugely positive affect on Apple's Mac sales.